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Many times artwork is beautifully laid out and very pleasing to the eye. But while the design looks great, one important aspect has been over looked… do the folds work?

There are three things to think through; orientation, position and avoid cracking.

Orientation: While modern folding machines are very efficient and make clean crisp folds, don’t assume that they can make every type of fold you can envision. When you have complex folds that will go in more than one direction, it’s best to check the folding machine can handle the folds you want.

Origami Crane folded with a red floral pattern paper

Position: The position of a fold can cause problems in several ways. For example, you sent your beautifully designed flyer to be printed and when you get the flyers back you are horrified to find out that one of the folds goes right through the head of your company’s CEO. Always printout and fold a mock-up before it goes to print. The mock-up is also a good way to check the fold sequence and make sure that each panel is positioned properly. If your address panel is not positioned properly, your postage costs can go up dramatically. Lastly, when doing multiple roll folds you need to make each consecutive panel slightly smaller to allow for the fold.

Cracking: A fold can cause cracking across it for a number of reasons, including the thickness of the stock, grain of the paper, and ink coverage on the fold. If you are printing on cover weight stock, you most likely will need the paper to be scored before it is folded. If the quantity you are printing lends itself to digital printing, cracking can be an even bigger problem. Since toner is applied by heat, it’s best to not have any toner on the lines of the folds. Sometimes you have no choice but to have toner run across the folds. When this occurs, options such as paper brand, finish and the position of the grain can be used to help cut down on cracking.

As always, your FNBR representative will be happy to help guide you to avoid the problems discussed above. Call us at 888-988-8148 or email info@fnbr.com

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Getting a piece of mail delivered with a postage stamp on it wasn’t always the case. The modern day postage stamp was born on May 6, 1840 in Great Britain. It was a one penny stamp and was printed in black ink only which lead to its name, the “Penny Black”.

Prior to the Penny Black stamp being printed, the postal services of the world did not charge the sender. The recipient paid the postage when the letter or package was delivered. This was extremely unprofitable for the postal services since the recipient could refuse the mail and pay nothing. Before long, many people had developed a system of secret codes to beat the postal system out of the postage due. They would put secret markings on the outside of the mail. These markings conveyed their message without the recipient having to open or accept the mail.

The first stamps were printed on sheets without any perforation. The user would need to cut one of the stamps off the sheet and affix it to the envelope. Because of the revenue that the pre-paid stamp was generating, it did not take long for this concept to be adopted by postal services around the world. The United States Post Office Department printed its first stamps in 1847. These were a five cent Benjamin Franklin stamp and a ten cent George Washington stamp.

Since 1840, stamps have evolved into different shapes, sizes and colors, but they all can trace their roots back to the “Penny Black” created on May 6, 1840.

About FNBR Incorporated

FNBR is a marketing company located in Tampa, Florida. We provide printing, direct mail, mailing lists, database management, graphic design, web design, and email marketing services to companies throughout the U.S.

FNBR can be reached at info@fnbr.com or toll free 1-888-988-8148.

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